Lifeboat hook



March 7, 1933. cRAlG 1,900,227

LIFEBOAT HOOK Filed Feb. 29 1932 Patented Mar. 7; 1933 nun-1:11 TAT SLovELnpr ns'ron'm, onneon V Application filed"Feb ruaryf.29;'1932'. {srial No. 595,893, T" l The inventiontirelate's primarily-to are-Vleasable hook for connecting either endo'f a lifieboat with a block. anda tackle suspended from a conventional davit. Such hooks are 5 subjectedto extremely rough usage whether used in launching lifeboats, or forlaunching othersmall boats carried by larger crafts, f. particularlyduring rough weather, and

I [quite serious accidents havev occurred. from "iflfailure of theconventional hooks at Crucial moments, one of the most serious hazards"1 being the fact that the pivot of .the releasable hook, may become lostor broken, premature I 1y releasing oneendof the boat with dis-,

15 astro'us results. I

It is the object of my invention to provide a new and improved hook ofthe typeset forth, which will readily withstand all rough. usage towhich subjected, and provided with safety means for preventing pullingof the pivoted hook .from'the' casing and for carryingthe'hook-supportedload if the hook pivot should become brokenor lost. f c Withtheforegoing in View, theinventio'n ing accomplished by referenceto'theaccompanying drawing. a a f Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hook con-.structed in accordance with the invention.

the pivoted hook heldin operative position.

ing the manner in which the safety means is removed.

A preferredconstruction has been shown and will be specificallydescribed, with 'theunderstanding however that variations may .intent ofthe invention is for useasa life boat hook, it may obviously be employedfor other purposes also, wherever apos'itiveholdin nick-releasin hook,is advanta- 21 p a h I geous. a

l The numeral 5 511 the drawing denotes a I cast-metal casing whoseupper end is provid- .po'site side walls. ofthe: casin resides inthenovel subject matter herein; after described and claimed, descriptionbe- Fig. 2 is a vvertical sectional View showing Fig. 3 is a Viewsimilar to Fig; 2 butshow-j holds the 'pi vot'edihookl even when itsi'pivot fqafety m be made within thescope of theinventionload, in v casethe pivot '15' of the hook 1 3 as claimed. Furthermore, while theprimary is-lfformed-with throat 7 to receive a load supporting-eyeorring, such1as a ringebolt of j alifeboat. Along itsrloWerlYendS andone vertical edge ,9, the casing 5,-is open, but along V the lowerportion of its otheryertical edge,

it is closed by a nintegralgweblO-L .Nearthe'f y 7 open 'ed'ge-8,.upperandflower-lugsll and12 I 1 areprovided integrally connectedfto theophaving a bill 14- *which normally j extends.

'acrossthe throat 9 to engage the eye, ring boltzor the like-j The pivot15 of this'hook 13 isfbetween the throat '7 and the lower end of theweb10, andsaid hookis providedwith $3 an upstanding shank 16'which'projects upzwardly beyond the pivot 15 and is spaced i'n- 'ward'ly' to aslight extent from said web 10.

A lo el'zing lever '17 is fulcrumed at 18- in the'ctsing 3n at:oneend'normally abuts 75" theinnerjedgeof 'theshank, 16 tohold the "1hook;l311in operative positiom; said locking {lever "being ..-;quicklymoved to this position I b -a" coiled spring f19 when the hook 113 isclosed.*Preferablyythe npperextrem-ity of the sh'ank l6iis obliquely outasi'shown, and

"the-lever; l-7iis provided with a v-shapedz notch-20 receiving said,extremity of said shank. .Eitlier fcontact.ofthe upper wall of. thenotch 20 withthe shank 16, or contact of lcver17 with lug; 151, orboth,mayberelied 7 upon to Ilimit the? movement of saidglever' unfdertheinfluenc'e of the spring-19, and -for releasing said flleve'r when itis desiredto re-.-

lease the load, 'a pull chain or the like/ 21 is p i U v 7 7 cans areemployed to prevent pull ing of the hook-13 from the casing Y5, and; tocarry the weight of the ho'ok s upported sh ould become broken or lost.This safety vmeans preferably comprises an abutment 22 "carried by thecasingi5andasocket 28in the hook shank .16, said abutment and socket:being loosely interfitte'd when 'hook lg isfin op;

' erative position,- as shown in Fig. 2. In-case the pivot :15 shouldbecome lost' or broken however, the, hook 13*will descend slightly untilthe-Supper edge of thesocket23'contacts Alpivloted hool '13 BL Provided;saidv hook l downward movement of the hook will be prevented, so thatthe hook 13 and the abutment 22 will then carry the entire loadsuspended new and'advantageous construction has been be made. Forinstance, the pivot 15, fulcrum from said hook, overcoming dangers whichnow exist in connection with conventional lifeboat hooks. W hen the hook1s bemg supported by the pin 22 as seen in Fig. 3, the ing 12 preventsinsufficient swinging of said hook to allow disen agement of the safetymeans 22-23, until the latch 17 is released.

When the hook shank is properly held by the lever 17, it is impossiblefor the hook 13 to become released even with severely 'rough usage, andwhile said hook is under load, it cannot be released by pulling upon.

the chain 21. As soon as the load is taken from the hooloh'owever, forinstance, when th life-boat comes to. rest upon the water,

pulling of chain 21 will release thehook and free the bo-ator otherload. a It will be seen from the foregoing that 3. A lifeboat hookcomprising a casing having a throat in its lower end, a load-supportinghook pivotedin said casing, said hook having a bill extending acrosssaid throat and being provided with an upwardly projecting shank at oneside of said throat, latch means in the casing normally abutting saidshank to prevent swinging of the hook to released position until saidmeans is released, an interfitting abutment and socket,one carried bythe casing andthe other by the hook shank for preventing pulling of thehook from the casing and for carrying the hook-supported load if thehook pivotshould become broken or lost, and a'stop fixedly carried bythecasing in position to abutthe hook bill toQpreventsuchswlngingofthehook as to disengage said abutment and socket untilsaid latch means is released.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FR NK n. one-re.

provided, andwhile the details disclosed have proven of great advantage,attention is againinvited to the fact that variations may 18 andabutment 22 are each preferably formed from a heavy screw held againstac- I so of the hook from the casing and for carrying the hook-supportedload if the hook pivot shouldbecome'broken or lost, and means fixedlycarried by said casing toabut the hook and prevent swinging thereof tofree said safety ,meansiuntilsald latch means is released.

2. A lifeboat hook comprising" a casing i 1 having a throat in its lowerend, a load-supportinghook pivoted in said casing, said hook havingabill extending across said throat and bein iprovidedwith an upward lyprojecting shank at one side of said throat,

latch.,means in the casing normally abutting said shank to preventswinging of the hook to released position until said means isreleased,interfitting means carried by said casand' said hook forpreventing pulling of the hook from the casing and for carrying the hooksupported load if the hook pivot should become broken or lost, and meansfixedly carried by said-casing to abut the hook and pre vent such"swinging thereof as to disengage said interfitting means until saidlatch means 1s released. I

